You are an apprentice mage. You and your master live in a tower atop a hill rising from the Great Forest in the remote western corner of the kingdom of Darish.
You are not sure how old you are. Your master purchased you from your family when you were very young, but you’re confident you are in your late teens. You’re not big and strong like the heroes you have read about, but you are fit and lean with corded muscles in your arms and legs from the constant chores and errands your master has for you.
Today your master has sent you into the depths of the forest in search of rare ingredients. You have ventured into the forest before, but you’ve never been this deep. Nor this far from the tower in many years.
In one hand you tightly hold your walking stick while the other clutches the strap of your herb bag. High above you the canopy is so dense that no light breaks through the tightly entwined branches and you are forced to rely on the soft illumination of the solar sprite you have summoned to accompany you. A tiny, flickering creature of warm yellow light, it flits about you, throwing the shadows between the trees into horrific shapes.
Suddenly you stumble out from the trees and into a kind of clearing. The canopy remains unbroken above, but the space is void of any trees for several meters. Thick vines drape the nearby boughs and carpet the forest floor. It feels almost like a cottage, with walls of tree trunks and a roof of branches.
At the center of the space are the remains of a lone, withered old tree rising from the earth like a broken spar, its branches long gone, and bark split with rot. At the base of the dead tree you spot the telltale blue glow of magic infused mushrooms. Exactly what your master wanted!